Butte in Silver Bow County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Butte Miner's #1 Union Hall
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, July 12, 2021
1. Butte Miner's #1 Union Hall Marker
Inscription.
Butte Miner's #1 Union Hall. . During the annual Miners' Union Day parade on June 13, 1914, spontaneous rioting broke out and the Butte Miners' Union Hall was ransacked. The Butte miners quickly voted to secede from Butte Miners' Union No. 1 of the Western Federation of Miners (BMU/WFM) by a vote of 6,348 to 245. A new independent union under local control was organized. The defeated Western Federation of Miners, charged with being a tool of the "copper trust" and not representing the rank and file workers, refused to relinquish control. WFM sent its president, Charles H. Moyer to Butte in a last ditch effort to maintain jurisdiction over the Butte miners. Moyer called a meeting of loyal BMU/WFM members to be held in the Butte Miners' Hall on June 23. Approximately 100 members entered the Hall, while a curious and emotionally charged crowd of thousands packed the street in all directions. At 7:30 p.m., pistol shots came from inside the Hall, igniting a gunfight that killed one onlooker and wounded others. The WFM members escaped through a back door and the crowd panicked but did not disperse. Men took dynamite from the nearby West Stewart Mine and throughout the evening, blasts reverberated from the Hall. Just before midnight, the fifteenth blast shook the massive building from its foundation. To the dynamiters and onlookers the total destruction of the Butte Miners' Union Hall symbolized the eviction of the once mighty BMU/WFM from Butte.
During the annual Miners' Union Day parade on June 13, 1914, spontaneous rioting broke out and the Butte Miners' Union Hall was ransacked. The Butte miners quickly voted to secede from Butte Miners' Union No. 1 of the Western Federation of Miners (BMU/WFM) by a vote of 6,348 to 245. A new independent union under local control was organized. The defeated Western Federation of Miners, charged with being a tool of the "copper trust" and not representing the rank and file workers, refused to relinquish control. WFM sent its president, Charles H. Moyer to Butte in a last ditch effort to maintain jurisdiction over the Butte miners. Moyer called a meeting of loyal BMU/WFM members to be held in the Butte Miners' Hall on June 23. Approximately 100 members entered the Hall, while a curious and emotionally charged crowd of thousands packed the street in all directions. At 7:30 p.m., pistol shots came from inside the Hall, igniting a gunfight that killed one onlooker and wounded others. The WFM members escaped through a back door and the crowd panicked but did not disperse. Men took dynamite from the nearby West Stewart Mine and throughout the evening, blasts reverberated from the Hall. Just before midnight, the fifteenth blast shook the massive building from its foundation. To the dynamiters and onlookers the total destruction of the Butte Miners'
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Union Hall symbolized the eviction of the once mighty BMU/WFM from Butte.
Location. 46° 0.95′ N, 112° 32.169′ W. Marker is in Butte, Montana, in Silver Bow County. Marker is on North Main Street near West Copper Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 306 North Main Street, Butte MT 59701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
must join the new union, or be subject to beatings or forced expulsion from the area. Sources disagree whether the dissidents were a majority of the miners, or a militant minority. The leadership of the new union contained many who were members of the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.)...(Submitted on October 29, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)
Photographed By Anaconda Standard
3. Mob Wreaking the Miners' Union Quarters on North Main Street
Butte Archives
4. Butte Miner's #1 Union Hall
Credits. This page was last revised on October 29, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 29, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 284 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 29, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
